On Fri, 04 May 2007 05:47:23 -0400 JW wrote in Message id:
:

On Wed, 02 May 2007 22:06:48 +0200 Joerg Hau
wrote in Message id:
:

Hi,

Hello all, I'm looking for recommendations for debugging test equipment
through their GPIB interface.
[...]
I currently have no GPIB hardware or software, but have taken a look at
National Instruments who have both a USB and a PCI based GPIB card which
I suppose come with drivers. http://www.ni.com/gpib/ Is this all I need
to get a simple terminal-like interface which will enable me to
communicate with the meter?

Go with the HP card and drivers. Still not cheap for a PCI card. Which
leaves ebay for an older card using the AT interface and maybe DOS or
Win95 and a bit of ingenuity.

Even easier ... apart from Steve's idea with the HP-85, I would suggest to
get some old PC with an ISA slot, plus an ISA-slot GPIB card such as the
HP82335 (which you can get *much* cheaper than any PCI card today).

Install Linux on the PC, install the linux-gpib package, and off you go :-)
If you need some sample code - command line only, no GUI involved - feel
free to have a look at my website (link below).

Thanks, and thanks to everybody who responded, I appreciate your time.
I'll be sure take a look at your stuff. Somebody also emailed me with
regards to this, and mentioned a cheap ($149) Prologix USB adapter
http://prologix.googlepages.com/home and FREE software for Windows
http://www.thegleam.com/ke5fx/gpib/readme.htm As a bonus (for you
programmer types, not me) the source code comes with it.

Thanks again.

As a somewhat unrelated question, A lot of test equipment is built in a
backplane or plug-in type architecture. How the heck to you access the
boards/modules when you need to probe them? I figure that the OEM had
specially made extender cards for their techs; is there any aftermarket
company who sells these things? I had very little luck in finding anything
on this, except for common busses like PCI, ISA, VME, etc.

Thanks again!